Why Is His Ice Bucket Challenge Different?

Harry Styles is many things. He's a musician, a sometimes Tinder-er, a social media amateur, and, of course, a heartthrob. Those last two, combined with Styles' philanthropic interests and the unavoidable social pressure from Directioners across the globe, resulted in Harry Styles taking the Ice Bucket Challenge. At the risk of becoming Bustle's #IceBucketChallenge girl, I interrupt your afternoon of Internet scrolling to present to you: Harry Styles pouring water over his head for charity.

Because I have been closely following celebrity Ice Bucket Challenges, I can confidently say that Styles' iteration of the dare is peculiar. First things first, the video is taken from an aerial point of view. Styles' bucket-bearing assistant looks down on the singer from a second story veranda. The camera is artfully angled over the bucket of ice in a way that makes Styles appear diminutive; just a lonely speck in the corner, watching from below. After the opening shot has introduced the scenario, the video cuts to just Styles, looking up at the camera and delivering his nominations with a smirk that says, "This is going to suck." The stream of water then pours over Styles' wondrous locks. But, he does not wail. He doesn't shriek, like many of his colleagues. Styles takes the icy cold water like a boss, moving backwards and cooly shaking off the excess once the deed is done.

The entire thing is quite enjoyable — mostly, because Harry Styles. But, I'm wondering where that stylistic choice, of shooting the Ice Bucket Challenge from above, came from. It's quite intentional, and must've required planning (choosing a venue, picking the right person to assist and simultaneously record, etc). Since Styles is a man of few words — his opening remarks consist only of his nominations — and doesn't offer us any explanation, I decided to speculate a bit.

So, why did Harry Styles record his Ice Bucket Challenge from above?

It's a hair technique

Styles' beautiful mane surely requires very specific maintenance. Having a water current come from above when washing is probably crucial for achieving the right shine and softness.

To avoid any fan fiction written about the event

Styles is the subject of many a fan fiction, especially surrounding his relationship with fellow One Directioner Louis Tomlinson. In order to not distract from the charitable efforts of the Ice Bucket Challenge, Styles wanted to make sure the camera was far enough away so you couldn't see what was exposed by his wet t-shirt.

He's dabbling in filmmaking

Sure, his career is doing well right now, but boy bands don't last forever. Once the One Direction star power starts to wain (blasphemous, I know!), Styles will need to seriously contemplate a career change. Give the success of the One Direction films, does the smoky-voiced wunderkind have a chance in Hollywood?

He used a stand-in

Is a One Direction conspiracy afoot? Styles opted to keep his shades on for the Ice Bucket Challenge. Could that, plus his recently grown out locks and clever Instagram video editing, be a ploy to distract from a mid-challenge swap-out? Did Styles even complete the challenge himself? It might have even been Kristen Wiig all along. The world will never know. (Or, I might be losing my mind after watching one too many Ice Bucket Challenges.)

Images: Getty Images